Residential electronics and control standards provide an opportunity for a variety of options for securing, monitoring, and automating residences. Wireless protocols for transmission of security information permit placement of a multitude of security sensors throughout a residence without a need for running wires back to a central control panel. Inexpensive wireless cameras also allow for placement of cameras throughout a residence to enable easy monitoring of the residence. A variety of home automation control protocols have also been developed to allow for centralized remote control of lights, appliances, and environmental apparatuses (e.g., thermostats). Traditionally, each of these security, monitoring and automation protocols require separate programming, control and monitoring stations. To the extent that home automation and monitoring systems have been coupled to home security systems, such coupling has involved including the automation and monitoring systems as slaves to the existing home security system. This limits the flexibility and versatility of the automation and monitoring systems and ties such systems to proprietary architectures.
A security system alerts occupants of a dwelling and emergency authorities of a violation of premises secured by the system. A home monitoring system monitors a status of a home so that a user can be made aware of any monitored state changes. A home automation system automates and remotely controls lifestyle conveniences such as lighting, heating, cooling, and appliances.
Rather than having multiple devices to control each of the security, monitoring and automation environments, it is desirable to have a centralized controller capable of operating in each environment, thereby reducing the equipment needed in a dwelling. It is further desirable for such a controller to function as a gateway for external network access. Gateway access can include user access to the controller in order to control or monitor devices in locations remote from the dwelling.
Traditional security systems communicate alarm event information directly to a central station alarm monitoring system. Non-alarm events registered by the security system are not provided to the central station. Thus, it is difficult, if not impossible, for a security system provider to track sequences of events leading to and following generation of an alarm event. This can be important in diagnosing proper functioning of a security system or in situations where a dispute arises between an end-user of a security system and the provider of the security system related to performance of the security system or the security system provider during an alarm situation. It is therefore desirable to have a system that records events leading to and following an alarm event. It is further desirable to have these recorded events available to not only an end-user but also to the provider of the security system.